Kansas State is turning to a new quarterback again, and this time the job goes to Blake Barnett.
Collin Klein has already cycled through multiple options in Year 1 after Avery Johnson went down with a neck injury. Dillon Duff and Jacob Knuth each got a start, and now Barnett is set to take over against OSU.
Barnett’s résumé this season is still tiny, but it’s the best look K-State has had from anyone behind Johnson. He has thrown 33 passes, completing 22 of them for 265 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
His passing line includes a 66.7% completion rate and a 164.12 rating. On the ground, he has not scored a rushing touchdown this year.
For comparison, the source material lays out the numbers next to QB2B Mestemaker, and Barnett’s first real action this season has come in just four games as a runner. He has 40 rushing yards on 14 attempts in 2025, including one carry for two yards against the Cowboys last season. He did not throw a pass last year.
Barnett’s first appearance this season came in the opener against FCS team Nicholls State, but he didn’t really enter the picture until last week at Colorado. Duff started that game, though K-State clearly wasn’t looking to open things up with him. He managed only one pass attempt for two yards over three series, all of them three-and-outs, before Colorado grabbed a 7-0 lead on the next possession.
Barnett then stepped in and gave the Wildcats a much-needed spark. His first drive ended with a missed 48-yard field goal attempt, but the next Colorado series stalled on a fumble, and Barnett helped push K-State down the field on an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown march. He opened that drive with a miss, then settled in and completed his next four throws, finishing it with a 28-yard touchdown pass.
He ended the night 18-for-28 for 224 yards and three touchdowns. His final score came on an 8-yard touchdown with two seconds left to tie the game at 21 and send it to overtime. Kansas State settled for a field goal in the extra period, and Colorado answered with a touchdown to win it.
Barnett also ran for 40 yards on 16 carries against Colorado, though that total included three sacks for a loss of 22 yards. Adjusted for those sacks, he would have 62 rushing yards at 3.9 per carry. His longest runs were 9, 9 and 14 yards.
It’s still a limited sample, but Barnett has outplayed the other backup quarterbacks who have gotten a shot. For now, Klein seems to have found the quarterback he wants while Johnson remains out.
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Kansas State Brings A Volatile Offense Into A Huge Test With Oklahoma State
Kansas States offense has been searching for stability all month, and Collin Klein said the next turn in the rotation will belong to Blake Barnett against Oklahoma State. It will be the Wildcats fourth different starting quarterback in four weeks, a jarring stretch for any team trying to find rhythm, but Klein pointed to Barnetts recent performance and the way he has competed as reasons for confidence heading into a difficult matchup.
The challenge only gets bigger with Oklahoma State on the other side, and Klein made clear the Wildcats cannot afford to drift from who they are. For Kansas State, the priority is staying grounded in its identity while becoming more consistent on both sides of the ball, a familiar coaching message that suddenly carries extra weight in a game with real stakes. [Read more 🡒]
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Oregon State Gets Its First Real Test Of A New Era
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The transition has been swift, with first-year coach Justin Joyner trying to mold a team that just finished a foreign tour in Canada with three wins. Oregon State has some momentum, but this is still a new era built around a largely unfamiliar roster and a fresh voice on the sideline. The test now is whether that early progress carries over once the games start counting for real. [Read more 🡒]